A Spirited Contest.
On Friday evening, May 15, the Second Annual Oratorical Contest of the high-schools of Chicago took place in Central Music Hall. The prizes offered were large; to the first three, gold medals valued at $25 each were given, in addition to a cash prize of $100 to the first, $75 to the second, and $50 to the third. These gifts were made possible through the kindness of Messrs. Alfred S. Trude, Franklin H. Head, and Charles S. Thornton.
There were two sets of markings—one set, on thought and composition, the judges being Henry B. Fuller, John Vance Cheney, and Franklin MacVeagh; the other set, on delivery, the judges being Luther Laflin Mills, Henry Wade Rodgers, and Judge John Barton Payne.
Mr. Bertram G. Nelson, of the Englewood High-School, spoke on the "Problem of History," and obtained first prize. Mr. Harrison S. Smalley, of the North Division High-School, spoke on the subject, "Are We Free?" and received second prize. Miss Nellie M. McPherson, of South Division High-School, spoke on "War," and earned third prize. Altogether there were eight contestants.
The system of marking was the average system, in which the marks are averaged up, and the highest average gets first place. Mr. Smalley received, out of a possible six firsts, five firsts, but because Mr. MacVeagh, "the Scholar in Politics," marked him down, he was deprived of a victory, which under any other system of marking would rightly have been given to him.
Albert V. De Roode, K.R.T.