ORATORICAL COMPETITION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 31 October 1907, Page 2

ORATORICAL COMPETITION.

An audience of about fifty attended tlir oratorical competition at the Catholic Club last night. Mr. W. G. Mftlone presided, -rttjll the Rev.* Dean MeKijnnu, tin- licv. A. M. Bradbury, and Mr. George (irev acted as judges. There were five competitors who spoke oil the lives of null of jioU; in history. Mr. Buckley took "Napoleon Bonaparte" as his subject ; Air. MeDaritt, "Edmund Binta'"; -Mr, W. Jones, ''Robert Emmett";! Mr. •I. J. Sullivan, "Thomas Moore"; ami Mr. V. O'Brien, "Robert Emmett." The .sju'ji kci's nmsi }y contented themselves with statements of fact, a matted tlial was referred to in the judges' rei&arks. Very little attention was paid by jhe speaker* to attitude, but as seveial of tiiem were making their maiden effort ft is not fair to be captious. At the, time. jjonie better speeches might reasonably havo been expected al the close of a season's debating. Tlje'Bov. Bradbury inniouiieed the decision <f the judge*. Tie remarked that the annotation of the speakers Was good. But most or iheni contented themseivci with slalemruU of fact, and drew no deduction Iroin the examples of the great men of whom thev had spoken. Mr. W. .lon»s was an exception in this respect. There was no dillieuUy in placing Mr. Sullivan iiv»t, but the weak spot was that he used ton manv quotations. Summing the olhcrs:'Mr. Buckley, gno.l euuin'intfon; Mr. MeDavitt, good opening, then a fallinpf-nff; Mr. Jones, rather ton precise, very accurate; Mr. O'Brien, only extempore speaker, and thus handi-1 capped,