Milford chronicle., 1931-06-05
KANSAS boy WINS
NATIONAL PRIZE
R. G. Rayburn Wins Ma
tiOnal High School Prize
In Final Speeches At
Washington.

night by Robert Gibson Rayburn o
Newton, Kanas, in a contest partic
mated in by seven high school stu
dents before an audience of 5,OO'
persons who filled Constitution Hal
in Washington, D. c., to OverfiOwins
for one of the capitals most popular
annual events.
He delivered prepared address
on 1.-The Tests of the Constitution.
Second place went to Miss Evel
Louise Conner of Chicago, whose
prepared address was entitled 1.-The
Constitution A Living Document
and third place to William Joseph
Codd of Spokane, Washington, who
spoke on Lincoln, the Savior of the
Constitution"
First Three Are All Sixteen
Rayburn, a 16-year-old senior in
the Newton High School, represent
ed the Midwestern zone and The
Kansas City Star. Miss Conner, the
only girl in the contest, is a 16-
year-old sophomore in Aquinas Do
miniOn School of Chicago and repre-
scented The Chicago News. COdd, a
16-year-old senior in GOnzaga High
School of Spokane, represented The
Seattle Times.
The contestants, who were SurV1V-
ors of sectional elimination tOurna-
ments held by newspapers through
out the United States, each delivered
a prepared speech dealing with the
Constitution of the United States
and a four-minute extemporaneous
speech on a topic assigned after de-
liVering the prepared speech. The
winner was chosen by board OF
judges and the winners cup was
then presented by John Hays Ham
mOnd.
Jack Emmett, representative of
The New York Times in the contest,
failed to win a place among the
leaders, but all of the contestants
were so evenly matched that the five
judges had great difficulty in chOOs-
ing those who stood out above the
rest. Four secret ballots were taken
before the winner was decided.
Miss Conner was believed to have
lost first place only because she
failed to reach the end of either her
prepared speech or her eXtemporan-
eous one before whistle blown by
the time keepers marked the end of
her allotted time.
All of the orators adopted virtual
ly the same style of delivery, a mod
flied tone of voice with few gestures.
The most distinguishing feature of
the winner, a tall, red-haired youth;
was his low-pitehed, convincing
voice.
Winner Studied Hard
Rayburn spent much time in pre-
pairing for this contest. He studied
many volumes on American history
and the. Constitution and delivered
more than thirty extempOraneous
speeches, besides taking part in the
contests preceding his choice. De-
spite his success as a speaker, he
will not go into politics, but is in
tent on a musical career.
Miss Conner, like the boys who
were her competitors for the final
honors, has taken part in many ex-
tramural activities at her school.
Codd is the president of the stu
dent body at his school.
The judges who made the award
were:
Senator Thomas j. Walsh of Mon
tana.
DR.. Leo S. Rowe, director of the
Pan American Union.
DR.. w. Coleman Nevils, president |
of GEORGETOWN University.
Cloyd Heck Marvin, president of |
George Washington University.
DR.. Lucius G. Clark, president of |
the American University.
DR.. w. A. Wilbur, provost OF
George Washington University, was
scrutator and the timers were Cen
eral A. A. Fries and William D.
Leahy.
Text Of the Winning Speech
The text of the prepared speech of
Rayburn was as follows:
Picture with me that group of
fifty-five statesmen gathered togeth-
er in Philadelphia in the Summer of
1887. Consider how the responsible
ity of an infant nation lay heavy on
their hearts. Visualize their anxiety
as the convention drew near to a
close, and then you will understand
how the spectre of failure haunted
their souls as they sat gazing at that
half-disk of sun painted on the
back of Washington's chair.
ITO them this picture was emble-
matte of the destiny of the COnsti-
tuition. 1t brought to their minds that
famous question voiced by Benjamin
Franklin: is it a rising or a setting
sun? Truly did it challenge their
utility and their faith. Then, as
Franklin, the master mind of the
affixed his signature to
the Constitution, he answered the ,
question, 1T is rising SUM-
"Has our Constitution stood the ,
tests and thus made Franklin's ans !
wer one of truth? The reply comes I
rom the pages of history. r
THE first great test was that of +
Could nation so small and
some immature as this one thrive in !
opposition to the towering monarch 7
es with their trained diplomats, '
heir power and their wealth? The i
lnswer to this question came with I
he Inauguration of Washington as I
President of the Union. He, with t
lis commanding personality, his mil S
tary and political genius, and with /
he help of our two pioneer states t
nen, Jefferson and Hamilton, safely
iloted the Ship of State through the b
irst great trial. G