Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-23
SEVEN TO COMPETE
HERE TONIGHT FOR
ORATORY HONORS
One Girl and Six Boys Meet
in National Finals at Con-
Stitution Hall.
STUDENT CONTESTANTS
SPEAK ON CONSTITUTION
Six-Minute Prepared Addresses
Will Be Followed by Shorter
Extemporaneous Talks.

The champion high school orator OF
the United States will be selected in
Constitution Hall at o'clock tonight
when the one girl and the six boys
who have survived months of elimina-
ton competitions between 5000. 900
high school students meet their su-
prcme test in the final meeting of the
Eighth National Oratorical Contest
Each of the seven orators will seek
victory With a siI-minute prepared
speech and fcur-minute extempora-
neous Spe2ch designed to increase re-
spect for and interest in the Constitu-
ton. The victor in tonights competf-
tlon VIII represent the United States in
the international finals here next Fall.
Final Order Given.
The finalists, in the order N Which
they will deliver their orations. and
S1eir prepared Grafton topics. are:
Robert Rayburn, l6 years old. Of New
ton, ksns., spokesman Tor the Kansas
City Star, THE Tests of the Constitu-
ton;
James Alfred Moore, IS years old. Of
Western High School, spokesman fol-
The Washington Star, Henry Clay, the
GIGdb ODlOI1SL
Jack Emmett, II years old. of New
YORK City, spokesman for the New York
Times, Personalities Of the Constitu-
tional Convention;
Miss Ever Louise Conner, rs years
old, OF Chicago, spokesman for the
Chicago Daily News. The Constitution.
a Living Document;
William J. Codd, Is years old, of
Spokane, Wash. spokesman for the
Seattle Times, Lincoln and the Con-
stitution":
william J. Donohue. 1s years old. of
Herkimer, N. Y. spokesman for the
Utica Press, Lincoln, the Savior of the
Constitution" and
James Pelham, 18 years old, of Bir-
mingham, Ala, SPOKESMAN for the Biz
mingham News. The Constitution: A
Challenge TO Citizenship
Allowed Minutes.
Each contestant will be allowed g
minutes in which to deliver mis- initial
grafton. When he finishes it, ne will be
handed a slip of paper bearing a new
topic relating to his prepared Grafton.
He will retire from the stage imn1cdi-
ately to private ante room, where he
may assemble his thoughts for his Sec
ond appearance on the stage TO deliver
4-minute extemporaneous speech.
each orator viii be forbidden to consult
any person or to use any references
books or material.
When the seventh orator has deliver
ed his prepared grafton and has retired,
the first speaker viii be summoned again
for the delivery of his extcmporaneou5
address Both orations will be con-
sidered by the judges In their tfeterml-
nation of the winner.
The board of judges who will pick
the United States champion from the
array of speakers is composed of Sena-
tor Thomas ]. Walsh OF Montana, DR..
Leo s. Rowe, director general of the
Pan American Union; DR.. Lucius
Charles Clark, chancellor of American
University. DR.. W. Coleman Nevis, S. j.,
president ~ Georgetown University. and
DR.. Cloyd Heck Marvin, president of
George washington University.
Judges to Be Separated.
These judges will be seated apart in
the auditorium and they viii write
their ballots-rating each contestant in
the order of his merit ithout consul
tation. To win the championship, .
contender must receivethe first place
rating from a majority of the judges,
as well as victory under the low-point
total system. If the first ballot fails
quirements, the judges, still without
consulting, will write new individual
ballots on the three contestants rated
highest in the initial vote. Then, If a
victor is not clearly ascertained-that
is, if there is an unbreakable tie-the
board of judges will retire TO a closed
chamber to pick the champion through
consultation.
But the rating of the official judges
will not be the only test which the
young orators must meet tonight DR..
William Allen Wilbur. provost of
Georgetown University, will preside as
scrutator, and he may disqualify any
contestant who fails to observe the con-
test rule of accrediting the source or
author of any quoted material Of more
than four words in length in both his
prepared and his extemporaneous ora
tons.
And If quality of oratory will be I'M
portant in the contest, so will be pre-
cision. The six minutes allowed each
finalist for the delivery of the pre-
pared speech and the four minutes for
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. address will be
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