Show STUDENT LIFE to keep our college activities on a par with those of other colleges National Oratorical Contest At the present time the proposed National Oratorical Contest is the subject of much discussion by college journals and students all over the country The idea of forming an oratorical league originated with President Benton of Miami University and was later discussed by representatives from several of our leading universities who met at St Louis Nov 9 and adopted resolutions that would govern the work of the contest Their aim is to promote a general oratorical league to include the greater number of Ajnerican universities The country will be divided into districts comprising several states Annual oratorical contests will be held in the several districts at which each university in its respective district shall be represented The sucessful competitors one from each district will meet in a national contest The first contest will probably be held at St Louis during the coming exposition The authorities in charge of the work of the exposition are heartily in favor of the proposition and will furnish a hall suitable for the occasion They will also provide a trophy to be presented to the victor “It is desired that the contest should lead to the cultivation of ora-to- y not from the standpoint of 183 rhetoric arid elocution alone but rather as including the development of all intellectual and personal powers required for the work of the g public speaker in dealing with problems” The customary memorized declamation will be replaced by a discussion of some important subject upon which the contestants have had thorough preparation but the special phase of the question upon which one will be required to speak will not be known to him until a few hours before the contest The general subject will be chosen from a list of questions submitted by the different universities one from each and will be announced not later than May 15 liv-in- 1904 It seems that there should be little doubt as to the success of the proposition unless other institutions awaken as we do to find that they are backward in oratory Perhaps the need of one or more energetic debating clubs was never more keenly felt than by us when at the present time we are asked to send a representative to the oratorical contest The question: “Why are we without such societies or clubs ?” might well arise and while many reasons may be enumerated the following appear to be the most plausible In our college courses there is too much required or prescribed work Until their senior year stu- dents in courses leading to degrees are required to complete (success- fully) about eighteen hours a week of prescribed work and during the |