Evening star., 1932-04-23
.LYTTON \. GIBSON
is ORATORY WINNER
IN VIRGINIA FINALS
Senior at Jefferson High ir
Fairfax County Proclaimed
State Champion.
GIRL WINS ALTERNATE'S
PLACE OVER FOUR OTHERS
Young Victor to Participate for
Star Area Award-Has Chance
for National Title.

Lytton H. Gibson, 16-year-old senior
Of the Jefferson High School, in Fairfax
County, Va, last night was proclaimed
champion of Virginia in the National
Oratorical Contest when he defeated
five other county spokesmen in the
State finals at the Maury School in
Alexandria.
Gibson, who spoke on Washington
and the Constitution" addressed him
self to the Bicentennial of the birth of
George Washington. After tracing the
mauy contributions which Washington
made to the Constitution, the Fairfax
County youth contended it was the
sagacity Of washington which overrode
the last Of the protests made by States
when they were called upon to ratify
the new instrument of government at
the end OF the nineteenth century.
Miss CasweH Alternate.
Miss Gladys Casweu of the George
Mason High School won second honors
and the position Of alternate with her
grafton on Lincoln and the Constitu-
ton" Miss Caswell's was a bold speech
for Virginia school stage by virtue of
the delicate issues of Civil War days
| which it embraced. And she handled
her subject with sympathy that en-
geudered new respect for Lincoln, the
man who saved the Constitution.
Other speakers on last nights pro-
gram were Miss Jane Wilton Ficklin
| of the Bealeton High School, represent
| ing Fauquier County, who spoke on
The Constitution and Modern Ten
dencies"; Henry F. Erbe Of the Lincoln
High School, representative Of Loudoun
County who spoke on John Marshall
| and His Contributions to the Constitu-
| ton: Smith Rucker of the Washing
ton-Lee High School, spokesman for
Arlington County, who spoke on Wash
ington, the Citizen" and James J. Carr
| of the Swavely School, champion of
Prince William County. who spoke on
Origins of the Constitution"
Young Gibson, Virginia'S champion,
who will represent it in The Star area
| finals of the contest, Is the son of Mr..
| and Mrs. Paul Gibson of East Falls
Church, Va.
Randolph Leigh Speaks.
! Last nights Virginia finals were
marked by an address by Randolph
Leigh. director general and organizer of
the International Oratorical Contest,
who presided over the meeting. Point
| ing out that the contest has the dual
purpose Of interesting young people in
| good governmental ideas and in the
art of public speaking, Mr. Leigh sug
gested that the inability of virtually all
| the political leaders of recent years to
present their ideas forcibly in person
was one reason for the depression of
! "concave BOOM"
Our recent public men generally,
Mr. Leigh asserted, ARE incapable OF
public utterances. They are unable to
move and compel the people to whom
they present their ideas"
The radio, whose engineers tell
speakers that a quiet, matter-of-fact,
conversational tone is best for speak
ing, was blamed by Mr.. Leigh for the
poor quality of public speaking among
prominent national leaders. BY public
speaking Mr.. Leigh declared he did not
mean the old-fashioned type of shout
atory," but the genuine art of oratory
by which men bring other men to ac-
cept their ideas. Oratory was hkened
by Mr.. Leigh to poetry, art and music
IAN art that must be preserved"
The program included also the pres
entation of medals to the six county
champions by Henri r. M. Van Hoof,
Hollands entrant in the last Interna-
| tional Oratorical Contest, who won the
| world championship here last Fall, and
who now is a scholarship student at
| George washington University.
The juGgeS in last nights contest
were Ralph Quinter, Washington at
| torney: Sidney F. Taliaferro, vice presi-
dent of the Riggs National Bank and
! former District Comm iSSioner, and Neil
Burkinshaw, assistant United States at
torney for the District of Columbia.